


Jormungandr

by sister_wolf



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Dead Robins, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-09-11
Updated: 2005-09-11
Packaged: 2017-10-12 05:49:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/121480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sister_wolf/pseuds/sister_wolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Of course he's stubborn.  He's a Jason, after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jormungandr

**Author's Note:**

> Ficlet set in [](http://sharpest-rose.livejournal.com/profile)[**sharpest_rose**](http://sharpest-rose.livejournal.com/)'s [Room'o'Robins](http://www.livejournal.com/users/monkeycrackmary/527502.html). Ghost-Jason and Red Hood from my story [The Hollow Man](http://archiveofourown.org/works/121473), young-Jason from _Nightwing: Year One_ , maybe-Jason from _Hush_.

He was pretty much expecting this would happen, sooner or later. Crossing his arms over his chest and looming a little to emphasize his height advantage, Jason smirks down at a younger version of himself. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Young-Jay puts his hands on his hips and scowls up at him. "I said, how the hell can you be here with _him_?"

Jason shrugs, looking over at where his Red Hood is standing, deep in conversation with another dead-Jason (not-Jason) with a red Robin-mask and a stylized R on the chest of his black and red uniform. "Hypertime," he says. "Didn't you listen to Timmy's little speech?"

"Fuck off, you _know_ what I meant." This younger version of him looks about thirteen. He'll be dead in two years, Jason thinks. Just long enough to start doubting Bruce, start thinking that maybe there's some other way to fight Batman's war. Not long enough to do anything about it. "He's a murderer. A monster. One of the girl Robins said that he killed _dozens_ of people."

Jason bares his teeth. "You have no fucking idea what he is. What _I_ am."

"You're _dead_. I can see right through you. You're a fucking ghost."

"Yeah." Jason rakes his hand through his hair and briefly wonders what telling little Jay about his fate will do to the timeline. Hell, maybe it'll catch him a clue. Change the future, change his past. Maybe change it so that the Red Hood never has to exist. So that _Jason_ never has to exist.

"Okay, yeah, you're right. I'm dead. Joker beat me to death with a fucking crowbar, and he _laughed_ the whole _fucking_ time. Happy now? Now that you know your fate?"

Young-Jay has turned a little green around the gills, but he's a persistent little fucker. "That doesn't explain what you're doing here with _him_."

Jason grinds his teeth. "You know what _Batman_ did to the Joker, after I died? Nothing. Not a goddamned thing. Not for three fucking years. You wanna know what Red Hood did to the Joker?" He leans forward, whispers in young-Jay's ear, "He killed him. And I stood there and watched."

"Then you're a monster too." The little shit actually _sneers_ at him.

Jason punches the wall next to his head, snarling, "Fine. I'm a monster. Let's see how fucking morally superior _you_ are after choking to death on your own blood."

Young-Jay flips him off and walks away. Jason stares after him for a few seconds, then figures, what the hell. He can't possibly make more of a mess of the timeline than it is already. "And stay away from Mom! She's a worthless bitch and you're better off without her!" Young-Jay doesn't react; Jason isn't sure if he even heard. Dammit.

A heavy, gloved hand drops onto his shoulder. "Trying to save him from his fate?" Red Hood's voice sounds cooly amused. Jason stiffens up involuntarily, and then slowly relaxes. He still can't get used to the fact that someone can actually _touch_ him.

"Yeah. It was pointless. He'll never listen. Stupid little shit."

"Stubborn. Goes without saying-- he's one of us, after all." Red Hood tilts his mask to one side; underneath it, Jason imagines, he's smiling that scary, focused grin. "C'mon, Casper. There's someone I want you to meet."

Jason trails across the room after Red Hood, toward the not-Jason in the black and red uniform. Meeting his eyes, the not-Jason smiles slowly. There's a darkly hungry look about him.

Jason shivers. This would all be so much less disturbing if he could tell himself that they _weren't_ all some version of him.

But he knows himself too well.

In the end, they're all Jason.


End file.
